What is Google Knowledge Graph?

Written by Rahul Mistry from 123-reg on 01 July 2013

Since it was rolled out in May 2011, brands and advertisers have been trying to figure out how they could tap into Google’s Knowledge Graph. Some find it amazing while others say it’s basically like bringing Wikipedia onto the search results page. But one thing is certain – everyone wants to understand not just how it works but how they can get included to increase their online presence.

Understanding the Knowledge Graph

Just like the name says, Google’s Knowledge Graph is basically a knowledge database consisting of millions of objects and billions of facts. The semantic integration has improved the search engine’s ability to distinguish between words with different meanings based on people’s search queries. For example, if you search for “Kansas” you will see that Google allows you to refine your search results between the state of Kansas and the Kansas band.

Benefits of the Knowledge Graph

Google’s Knowledge Graph makes it easier for users to refine their search results and find exactly what they’re looking for, without the chaos created by results for words with different meanings. When it comes to brands and advertisers, they can thank Google for no longer having to compete with irrelevant search results. A more refined search means fewer pages that can potentially outrank your brand’s website and more targeted visitors. But, more importantly, getting included in the Knowledge Graph helps increase brand recognition. Get busy on Google+To get included in Google’s Knowledge Graph you need to have a verified and active Google+ account. In fact, an analysis on the top 100 brands proved the strong correlation between brands that have a verified Google+ page and those who get a Knowledge Graph entry showing up with their search.

The report discovered that:

Out of 100 brands, only 24% triggered a Knowledge Graph entry when searched

The information for 92% of those Knowledge Graph entries came from Google+

96% of brands that triggered a Knowledge Graph entry when searched also have a Google+page

53% of brands with a verified Google+ page had a Knowledge Graph entry show up with their search

The good news is that by having a Google+ account you are able to increase exposure for your brand, no matter how small.

How to get your business included

Google’s Knowledge Graph is only triggered for your brand term and if you want to get included, follow the simple steps below:

Create a G+ page for your business/site, making sure to include all the relevant details such as URL, name, logo, address etc.

Add the <a href="https://plus.google.com/[yourpageID]" rel="publisher"> tag to your homepage in between the <head> </head> tag to connect it to your G+ profile.

Verify your URL and email address in G+.

Have a few people in your circles.

Be active and post regular content on G+ (daily). If you stop posting content on your G+ page after a few weeks, you will drop out of the Google knowledge graph.

It may take a few weeks or even a month for your G+ profile to show up, so be patient. After a few weeks, the next time someone searches for your brand name on Google, your G+ profile should appear in the right side box which helps increase brand recognition.

An example of how it should look is shown below:

Vic Gundora said at a SMX Social Media Marketing Expo: “I think people are just now starting to understand that Google+ is Google. At some point, we’re going to have a billion users. And eventually, you’ll just say: ‘Google has a billion users.”

All things considered, if you want your brand’s to show up in the Knowledge Graph results (and you definitely do), start by creating a Google+ account for your business and become an authority in your industry by sharing purposeful and interesting content on a daily basis.

Being active on Google+ will help you get included and ensure you remain in the Knowledge Graph results when people are searching for your brand online. But, more importantly, it will help increase brand recognition and credibility among consumers, which is becoming more and more difficult to achieve.

About the Author

Rahul Mistry is a design enthusiast and content writer for domain name registration specialist 123-reg.co.uk. Follow Rahul on Google+ and twitter.